The Drake Maye Discussion Thread

[Brotherblues]

From what I saw at camp yesterday, Maye looks good to go. But if the Pats were smart, they’d sit him for a few weeks to assess the OL. If the OL is not a complete ****show, they should put the kid in at the beginning of October.

This is where I'm at. The plan should always be to adapt to the circumstances. If the oline is somewhat steady, the young WRs aren't running bad routes making a wrong read half the time, and Maye looks ready, then put him in. Until then just be patient and wait for those 3 things to reach a minimal threshold. It can be week 1 or week 10 or somewhere in between, there's really no way to know right now.

 

[sb1]

I disagree. Good QBs aren’t going to chunk because things are tough. Manning threw 27 ints. I guarantee that made him a better qb.
Many QBs play as rookies. The ones who went on to fail failed because they weren’t good but because they lost confidence.
I can’t think of any examples of a guy who played early and failed who who have been good if he sat out.

There's nobody who played early and failed who we know for sure would have been good if he sat out. We don't have a crystal ball.

Jones would have benefitted from sitting and learning from the GOAT if he was here. Maybe he would have learned how to be a pro at the NFL level. He had nobody to mentor him about that part of the game.

 

[KCSVEN]

From what I saw at camp yesterday, Maye looks good to go. But if the Pats were smart, they’d sit him for a few weeks to assess the OL. If the OL is not a complete ****show, they should put the kid in at the beginning of October.

I think the screwed the pooch on that 1. Like Daniels and Williams, Maye should have been the starter and then had to lose it, should be getting 1st team reps. We know what Jacoby is and easily could have stepped in for Maye if he lost the starting job. Now they've just not given it a chance by giving the veteran who already played in the system the most snaps, especially with the first team.

At Bengals on road first NFL game, they won't do it, then Jets and 49ers on the road are week 3 and 4, they won't have the guts to play him against those defenses, especially on the road.
After that clear sailing, 2 home games week 5 and 6 and only the Jets the rest of the season with a scary D and that's at home. They will play him week 5 unless they surprise by going 2-2 or 3-1 in first 4 then they might ride Jacoby until the wheels eventually come off.

 

[Ring 6]

There's nobody who played early and failed who we know for sure would have been good if he sat out. We don't have a crystal ball.

Jones would have benefitted from sitting and learning from the GOAT if he was here. Maybe he would have learned how to be a pro at the NFL level. He had nobody to mentor him about that part of the game.

You are right you can’t use a guy who played as proof of whether he would have been better if he sat or a guy who sat as proof he would have been better if he played because when that guy you only have half of the info

So that leads us to the question of whether a play at the beginning of year 2 will be more crated and more developed if he spent year 1 running the 1s and playing in every game or playing with the scout team and sitting on the bench. I think anyone who has ever played competitive sports realizes that’s an easy answer.

Of course coaching is an important part of development. I don’t buy that being around a guy that gets it makes someone who doesn’t get it figure it out. Jones failed because he isn’t mentally able to handle the job. He didn’t do what he was coached to do. If you can’t take coaching it doesn’t matter who the coach is. (and I don’t mean he was insubordinate, I think his mind just doesn’t work fast enough to execute at the speed he has to) Even great teachers don’t succeed with bad students.

 

[Ring 6]

I think the screwed the pooch on that 1. Like Daniels and Williams, Maye should have been the starter and then had to lose it, should be getting 1st team reps. We know what Jacoby is and easily could have stepped in for Maye if he lost the starting job. Now they've just not given it a chance by giving the veteran who already played in the system the most snaps, especially with the first team.

At Bengals on road first NFL game, they won't do it, then Jets and 49ers on the road are week 3 and 4, they won't have the guts to play him against those defenses, especially on the road.
After that clear sailing, 2 home games week 5 and 6 and only the Jets the rest of the season with a scary D and that's at home. They will play him week 5 unless they surprise by going 2-2 or 3-1 in first 4 then they might ride Jacoby until the wheels eventually come off.

My feeling is that the most important goal this year is doing whatever willl make Drake Maye the best at the beginning of next year.
Or in other words this season is more about how many games we win next season.

Every first team reps and every live play in a game is an opportunity for Maye to improve. Every one of those you rob from him puts him behind where he could be ever so much.

 

[Zuma]

I’m of the belief that no matter how good Maye may look before the season starts…he should still sit at least a few games. It’s an enormous amount of pressure for a rookie QB to start the 1st game with everyone watching…why put him in that situation? Ease into it a few games later (game 3ish) by coming in after halftime or something. If he’s not ready at all…then sit him till game 15 so he can get the last few games under his belt so he knows what to expect in 2025.

 

[Stu Pidassle]

There's nobody who played early and failed who we know for sure would have been good if he sat out. We don't have a crystal ball.

Jones would have benefitted from sitting and learning from the GOAT if he was here. Maybe he would have learned how to be a pro at the NFL level. He had nobody to mentor him about that part of the game.

There are mentors and there are mentors. While it is true that Mac did not sit behind TB12, Rogers or even Alex Smith, he did have Hoyer to fill the veteran mentor role. Clearly having a legitimate QB play ahead of a rookie is a better situation than having some old guy whisper in the same QBs ear. I hope that Brisset is good enough to set a good example on the field, even if he doesn't start for very long.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I’m of the belief that no matter how good Maye may look before the season starts…he should still sit at least a few games. It’s an enormous amount of pressure for a rookie QB to start the 1st game with everyone watching…why put him in that situation? Ease into it a few games later (game 3ish) by coming in after halftime or something. If he’s not ready at all…then sit him till game 15 so he can get the last few games under his belt so he knows what to expect in 2025.

Mac handled the pressure, he was good for the first 2/3s of his rookie season. If Mac handled it, it seems like anyone could. I have no idea the right way to handle it.

 

[Huckleberry1]

How did Tom Brady benefit from sitting? Aaron Rodgers? Patrick Mahomes?

The benefits come from being able to work on the mechanical issues repeatedly before real fire takes place, and from learning the playbook fully, as well as all the checkdowns when the defense is changing it up on the fly. And as we saw with Brady in the first season he played he still had a ton to learn when he was facing real action. Maye is a long term investment, so they need to tread carefully and take it slow with him. The coaches will know when he’s ready to start playing, and when the team is ready for him to start playing. Although Brisset looks like he will be starting I would go a different route if it was my decision. With the way the OL looks right now I would only start people I truly hate, and that would be for the pleasure of watching them get the **** beaten out of them, so I would start Elon Musk.

 

[KCSVEN]

Dudes great at everything!

 

[mikey m]

There's really no way to know what path will be best for a certain QB. Will going out there and sucking it up along with potentially shoddy OL and developing WR play hurt a QB mentally? Can it harm their processing of the game? Or will they grow mentally tougher from the challenge? Will it make things easier as all aspects of the offense settle in? Is the new OC ready to establish his system with a rookie QB? Will he and the rest of the offense benefit overall from a veteran presence at qb at least to start? If the rookie QB struggles significantly, is the brand new HC ready to manage that in a productive way? Ton of variables. Impossible to say but I can't believe it's as simple as more plays = more learning = better QB in 2025.

 

[IcyPatriot]

@Ian can you make a Drake Maye meter ...
Something like this ... day we can see how he is trending.

 

[n1997y]

The benefits come from being able to work on the mechanical issues repeatedly before real fire takes place, and from learning the playbook fully, as well as all the checkdowns when the defense is changing it up on the fly. And as we saw with Brady in the first season he played he still had a ton to learn when he was facing real action. Maye is a long term investment, so they need to tread carefully and take it slow with him. The coaches will know when he’s ready to start playing, and when the team is ready for him to start playing. Although Brisset looks like he will be starting I would go a different route if it was my decision. With the way the OL looks right now I would only start people I truly hate, and that would be for the pleasure of watching them get the **** beaten out of them, so I would start Elon Musk.

I’m with you, but please make the entire OL PS elevations signed for just one game.

 

[Ras-IR Dowling]

Just grabbed him 1.10 in my dynasty. Crazy how a few practices can drop a player.

 

[Patriot Missile]

Impressive red zone work the last couple of practices. Probably the biggest positive we’ve seen thus far from Maye. Anytime a rookie can do well down there it’s a good thing. Even seasoned veterans can struggle when the field shrinks down in the red.

 

[Thelonious]

I have said from the start that this year is all about next year and years following. I would handle the Maye matter in that light and do whatever is more likely to make him a better player next year. With that in mind, I would consider that putting him behind a lousy OL might just get him beat half to death mentally or physically, neither of which will help him in outgoing years. If he can play with reasonable safety, I do see the benefits of gaining some real-game experience this year, assuming his knowledge and skills develop sufficiently that he is in a position so to benefit, but I doubt that would require anything more than a few games. In short, I would not put him out there to win games, but I would do so to help him learn how to win games. I do not care what the record is this year, though I do like the idea of a very high draft position.

 

[Vindicate]

The benefits come from being able to work on the mechanical issues repeatedly before real fire takes place, and from learning the playbook fully, as well as all the checkdowns when the defense is changing it up on the fly.

Also getting used to NFL speed. I forget which interview I was watching the other day - it may have been with Derrick Henry... Either way, they were asked the question: how different is the NFL from college ball? Their answer was along the lines of "incomparable. totally different game and speed."

 

[lancerman]

The benefits come from being able to work on the mechanical issues repeatedly before real fire takes place, and from learning the playbook fully, as well as all the checkdowns when the defense is changing it up on the fly. And as we saw with Brady in the first season he played he still had a ton to learn when he was facing real action. Maye is a long term investment, so they need to tread carefully and take it slow with him. The coaches will know when he’s ready to start playing, and when the team is ready for him to start playing. Although Brisset looks like he will be starting I would go a different route if it was my decision. With the way the OL looks right now I would only start people I truly hate, and that would be for the pleasure of watching them get the **** beaten out of them, so I would start Elon Musk.

I was being sarcastic responding to someone who doesn't believe sitting helped them.

 

[Pape]

Maye should not start the season...

Hes been inconsistent in practice and quite frankly hasn't out performed Brisket...and if you think he has, check your eyes because I don't know what else to tell ya... you do not want to reinforce his bad habits... and those will continue to crop up and become further ingrained if he starts out in a tight spot... with this line, we have zero idea until we get to at least the intra team practices and preseason games...

and... the word "mentor" gets dropped a lot around here... vet this vet that... thats a bunch of hogwash... sure some stuff might get passed around, but ultimately its on Maye... and for Maye, the best mentor he has is in fact the OC... AVP is the guy who has to provide that veteran leadership most people think comes from having a veteran qb in the room... and lets be real, AVP is a rookie... sure, he was the "OC" in cleveland for 4 years, but he never had to call a game... He's learning too...

Maye's time will come... just hopefully not in week 1.

 

[Ring 6]

Concerns about starting Maye week 1

A) we have a "versatile" o-line with too many unsettled starting positions,
B) the young WRs are new to both the NFL and the AVP offense, it'll take a while before they're running the right routes decisively and reliably

Not saying everything has to be perfect before they put Maye in, but both our pass catching and blocking groups have little to no history together in their current configuration.

So I'm all for the initial plan to be for him to sit a few games at least. Doesn't mean the plan should be rigid. Gotta adapt when reality demands it. No fan will dislike it if Maye forces his way to the field sooner rather than later.

Let me ask you this.

I don’t think anyone would dispute that the more snaps he takes this year the better he will be next year. Including running the 1s in practice. It takes experience to progress.

So given the choice of
1) playing him right away and he struggles as he adapts to the league and this results in him being better prepared next year and more ready to play well or
2) “protecting” him so he doesn’t struggle on the field but that results in him being less game ready and not as far along in his progress at the start of next year

Which do you choose?